Situação de fronteira na Amazônia: Pimental diante da Usina Hidrelétrica de São Luiz do Tapajós

Abstract

Since the beginning of the Conquest , the Amazon has been a target of different exploitation movements: from hunting to slavery, from the search of latex and Brazil nut to the period of Military Dictatorship (1964-1985), having transformed itself into a large scenario of violent, rapid and territory occupation, and representing the last vast frontier of Latin America (Martins, 20009). After almost a decade into the 21st century, updated by Brazil s development policy, which was promoted by the governments of Luiz Inácio Lula da Silva (2003-2010) and Dilma Rousseff (2011 current), exploitation is back in the region with one new objective, making the most of the hydro-electrical potential of Tapajos river (PA). With the aim of contributing to the analysis of possible conflicts mobilised before the construction works of the hydroelectric plant took place, this work studies the different transformations that occurred at Pimental, a territory which is a the right bank of the Tapajos river (PA), at the Hydroelectric plant of (UHE) São Luiz do Tapajós, which construction threatens to destroy the whole area of Pimental. Based on the Frontier Theory, launched by Martins (2009), this study draws a new perspective of analysis about the diverse moments of the border and the expansion agents are noticed by the local community and by the territorial constitution of Pimental itself